Mistakenly aborted child in Italy died after hours of agony

Rome, Italy, Mar 9, 2007 / 01:31 pm (CNA).- A 22 week-old baby that was aborted after his mother was told he might be deformed died at a hospital in Florence after several hours of intense suffering. Doctors said the baby survived the abortion procedure and that afterwards they discovered he was completely healthy.

The baby weighed only 17 ounces when the abortion was performed last Friday. Medical records indicate that the unborn baby underwent tests during the 20th and 21st weeks, which indicated he might have had a rare disorder that affects 3 out of every 1,500 babies but that can be corrected with surgery in 90 percent of the cases.

In statements to the Italian daily La Reppubblica, the director of the department of Gynecology at the Careggi Hospital, Gianfranco Scarselli, said that after suspicions that the fetus might be deformed, doctors recommended the woman undergo a CAT-scan in order to be sure.

Nevertheless, according to Scarselli, the woman “was convinced she should have an abortion,” and she did not undergo further tests.

Once the abortion took place, the doctors noticed the baby’s heart was beating and they determined that he was not suffering from any deformation. At that point they decided to revive it. The baby fought for his life for several days but died of heart failure. Doctors have not revealed the abortion method that was used.

In Italy abortion is legal for any reason during the first three months of pregnancy and afterwards only in cases of a threat to the life of the mother, fetal deformation or, a threat to the physical or psychological health of the mother. Currently authorities are investigating the case in order to determine those responsible for the incident.

The Vatican’s official paper, L’Osservatore Romano, called the case “the miraculous struggle of a child that the world wanted to kill,” and it said that in this case “life has been thrown out, scorned, and ended in the horrible jaws of a culture that rejects any inconvenience rather than facing a path of suffering.”

The case has had a great impact on public opinion in Italy and came just weeks after the case of Amillia Taylor, who was born at 22 weeks and has become the most pre-mature baby to ever survive.